Knitting-machine



3 SheetsT-Sheet 1.

. i A(No Model.)

J. H. OSBORNE.

- KNITTING M..Lf.GH1\IB.-

:x: PatentedSe'pLlS inve (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. H. OSBORNE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. '18, 1883.

NA PETEFIS Fhnkn-UWKHPM'- Washington. B. C

v(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet s.

. J; H OSBORNE.

KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 285,155 Pat/ented Sept. 18, 1883.

N ETERS. PhmMJmagnpher, wnshmgxm. n. c.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. OSBORNE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

.KlfllTTlNG-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 285,155, dated September 18, 1883.

Application filed April 11, 1.882. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. OsBoRNE, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Knitting-Machines, of which the following isa specification.

My invention has reference to knitting-machines; and it consists in certain improvements therein, all of which improvements are fully set out in the following specication, shown in the accompanying drawings, .and pointed out in the claims.

rIhe object of my invention is to provide knitting-machines adapted to knit hose-tubes of two or more yarns of different colors with improved automatic pattern-governing mech'- anism to cause the desired colored yarn to be delivered to the needles at the proper time; also to provide mechanism whereby a hosetube may be kuit from which to make cut hose, having the defective spots due Lto the change of the colored yarns down one side of said tube for a given length, and then change to the side diametrically opposite, and so on` alternately, that the hose, when cut, shall have the defective spots alluded to above on the back of the stocking, and also to enable hose to be cut from said tube without waste. This hose-tube forms the subj ect-matter of a patent granted to me July 11, 1882, No. 260,891, this application relating wholly to the mechanism for producing said improved knit tube.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved knitting-machine. Fig. 2 is also a side elevation of same, but looking from the opposite side thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the operating toothed wheels for the yarn-carriers. Fig. 4c is a cross-section of part of Fig. l on line x x. Fig. 5 is a skeleton view, showing the mechanism for clamping the yarn and severing the same. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the guide for guiding the yarn to the needles. Figs. 7 and 8 areperspective views of part of my machine, to show more clearly the action of the mechanism `associated with the needles; and Fig. 9 is a detail view, showing the yarn and its relation to the severing-knife and other adjacent parts.

A is the frame proper. l

B is the knitting-machine cylinder, which is supported upon frame A.

C are the knitting-needles, which are carried, in the `usual manner, in a head, D, to the bottom of which is secured a bevel-gear wheel, E, which meshes with the driving bevel-gear wheel E. Encircling the head D, and above wheel E, is the cam-cylinder F, provided with the cam f, formed in its outer surface. This cam-cylinder is provided with a spring-catch, which' may consist of thebolt or pin f', pressed in toward the head D by spring f2, and adapted to catch in holes d d in the said head D, and on diametrically-opposite sides thereof. Vhen the pin f' is drawn out of hole d and the head Dslightl-y turned, the pin rests against the lug b, secured to or forming part of the cylinder B, and the cam-cylinder F is held stationary until the head D has made a semi-revolution, when it catches in the other' hole d and is freed from lug b, and consequently rotates with the head D and its needles .0. By this means the cam-groove fis changed with relation to the needles. By this means the defective spots in the tubular fabric c, due to the changing ofthe yarns, are brought on diametrically-opposite sides. 3

G is a frame secured to frame A and carrying atthe top in bearings or guides gtheyarncarriers H H', provided with yarn-guides h2 h2, and having on their ends yarn loops or holes 7L h'. These carriers H H' are connected by rods i z" to levers I I', carrying on their lower ends friction-rollers I2. Said levers are looselypivoted on shaft J, and a-re drawn back at their upper ends by springs i2, and thus pressed at their lower ends against the toothed or cam wheels L L', having teethl Z',which wheels are secured to the shaft K', supported in frame G.

To the end of shaft K' is secured a ratchetwheel, P', having` twice as many teeth as the wheels L and L', respectively. A sliding bar, M, is guided in bearings m in frame G, and is reciprocated by a lever or arm, N, secured to a rock-shaft, N', working in bearings n and rocked by lever N, which is operated by camgroove f.

Pivoted at m' to bar M is a pawl, M', one end of which works with the ratchet-wheel P, and the other is provided with an inverted-V- shaped lug, m2, as shown. Vorking with the lug m2 on pawl M' is an arm, m3, secured to or forming part of a sliding block, O, guided at IOO O' in bar M, and provided on top with lug O2, having an extension, O3. Vorking over this lug is a lever, K, provided with a notch, 7c, in which said lug works. This lever K is secured fast to shaft J and keptpressed down at its notched end by a spring, Je'.

The wheels L and L' have their teeth'set alternately, so that when a tooth, Z, presses out the lower end of lever I the tooth Z allows the lower end of lever I' to come in, or vice versa.V To the end oppositethe ratchet-wheel P', and on` shaft K', is a toothed wheel, L2, having teeth Z2, curved on one side and straight on the other, said teeth being in number equal to those on the ratchet-wheel and double the numberY of those on the wheels L and L', respectively. An arm, S', loosely pivoted to the frame or shaft J and provided on the bottom with a frictionfroller, s', presses upon the rounded sides of the teeth Z2, and forces the straight sideof the tooth opposite against the end of a bell-crank lever, S, pivoted to the frame G, and carrying on its horizontal arm a cutter or knife, S2, andan inclined clamp, S2. The lower end of lever S and arm S' are pressed toward the toothed wheelV L2 by spring s, and said mechanism, while it operates the clamp and knife, also locks the cam-wheels L L' after a portion of a revolution.

Loosely secured on the end of shaft K', or upon another pin, is a wheel, P2, provided with teeth or sprockets p, which catch in the chain Q and positively move it. To this wheel P2 is secured a ratchet-wheel, P, which is rotated by a pawl, N2, operated by rock-shaft N', and kept pressed against the teeth of the ratchet-wheel by a spring, n2. A pawl, N 3, and spring a' hold said ratchet-wheel P in a stationary position while the pawl N2 is being reciprocated to catch another tooth.y There are as many teeth as there are sprocket-teeth p. Consequently' the movement of each tooth moves the chain` one link. The chain Q is composed of a number of links, and each link is provided with a hole, q, for the insertion of a pin, q'. lThe pattern is made by varying the number of pins between any two links without pins, as q'.

Secured to shaft J isan arm, lt, provided at the bottom with an inclined face, o, in the path of the chain-pins.

Secured to the cylinder B is the cloth`press er U, which is provided with an inclined clampsurfac'e, a, which corresponds to the part S3 on lever S, and directly opposite to said clampsurface, and on the other side of the needles C,

4 is the yarn-guide T, which is secured rigidly to the frame or cylinder B at the bottom, and is provided at the top with open guide-notch t andvinclined prong or foot t'. This guide for the yarn insures its being caught by the needles which rise and fall at this place.

The operation is as follows: The machine being set to knit with white and blue yarn, and the said yarns being passed from the bobbins or spools through the guides X h2, and through the holes h h', respectively, of the yarn-carriers H H', and the white yarn y beingheld by the clamp S3 a and the blue yarn z being caught by the needles C, the machine is set in motion by bevel-wheel E'. The head D and its needles C, as well as the cam-cylinder F, rotate, causing the needles to knit with the blue yarn as they move round with the head, drawing the said blue yarn through the hole h' around the guide-notch t and under the hooks of the needles, as shown in Fig. 7. At every revolution of the head D the cam-slot f rocks arm or shaft N', reciprocating bar M and moving the chain Q one link through the agency of pawl N2 and ratchet-wheel P. The pawl M' vreciprocates with said bar M, as does also the sliding block O. Now, referring to Fig. l, as the bar M moves back, the lug or projection O2 strikes the rear end of slot or notch 7c in lever K, thereby arresting the movement of the block O and its arm m2, and as the pawl M' is still moving back the part m2 is forced down under arm on, throwing the other end up and clear of the teeth of Vratchet-wheel P'. Now, as the' bar M moves forward again, the pawl passes over clear of the ratchet-wheel, and without moving the shaft K' or any of the parts secured thereon. Before the bar M reaches the end of its stroke the projection or lug O2 strikes the other end of slot 7.; and allows the pawl to fall, but too late to catch a tooth. Consequently, so long as the arm or lever K remains stationary or does not rise or rock, the shaft K' cannot turn or rotate, and the yarn-carriers cannot shift their positions. But, now, suppose the chain Q has been turned until apin, q', strikes the inclined end r of the arm R, the result will be an active operation of every part ofthe organized machine. The backward movement of the arm R causes the lever K to rock, raising its slot k just clear of the lug O2, but not clear ofthe extension O2. Now, as the bar M re ciprocates, the block 0 has no effect on the pawl M', and it catches the next tooth of the ratchet-wheel P', and slightly rotates the shaft K', with its cam-wheels L L' and toothed clampwheel L2, thereby lifting the clamp S3, raising knife S2 and reciprocating yarn-carriers H H', throwing the former back and the latter forward, throwing the blue yarn into the clamp and the white yarn into the needles and guide T t t'. 'Upon this action being accomplished the lever or arm S' locks the shaft K' in a steady position. This is not necessary if the cam-wheels L L are made so as to t the rollers l2. As the pin q' of the chain now passes the face r the lever K falls back, and the IOO IIO

pawl M' is again powerless to put the yarnchanging mechanism into action until another chain-pin comes into play. Now the machine will knit with white yarn y. In the act of throwing the white yarn into the needles and the blue yarn out, or vice versa, both yarns, for a short space of time and while several needles are passing, are being knitted together; but just as soon as the blue yarn is thrown out it is caught by the clamp S3 a, and as the needles draw the knitted tube around it is pressed against the knife Sl and cut. This is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The pattern may be changed by changing the number of links between those which contain pins. Each link corresponds to a revolution ofthe needle-head,

and consequently one row of stitches. No adj af cent links are provided each with a pin, unless it is desired to knit one row of stitches of colored yarn in the tube and then change to another color. `By simply increasing the number of yarncarriers and -their operating-levers and cam-wheels any number of colored yarns may be used. After knitting a given length of tube, the pin f' is drawn out and catches against the lug b,- but as soon a's the head D has made a semirevolution it flies into the hole d on the side directly opposite that from `which it was drawn and rotates with said head once more. The effect of this is to change the line of defective spots made during the act of changing the colored yarns from one side to the side diametrically opposite for the next,

given length of tube made, and so on, to the `end that when the hose are cut the defective sp ots will come in the back, and that said hose can be cut from the tube withoutwaste.

In this application I do not claim, speci-fically, the automatic mechanism by which the yarn-carriers are intermittently reciprocated, as that forms subj ectmatter of Patent No.

. 258,593, granted to me May 3o, 1882.

I am aware of the patents to Bradley, No. 244,735, of 1881-; Slack, No. 190,694, of 1877 5 and Huse, No. 239,168, of 1881, and claim nothing therein set forth or shown.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the needle-head, needles, yarn-carriers H H', clamp S3 a, knife S2, guide T, having notch t, a lever to raise both the clamp-face S3 and knife S2, and mechan ism to actuate said lever, substantially as and for the purpose speciiied.

2. .The combination of rotating head D, carryi ng the needles G, with camcylinder F, means to secure said cam-cylinder adjustably to said needle-head, and mechanism to rotate said head and needles, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The'combination of rotating head D, carrying knitting-needles G, and adjustable cam-l cylinder F, with two or more reciprocating yarn-carriers, .H H', cam-wheels L L', intermediate mechanism by which said cam-wheels reciprocate said yarn-carriers, means actuated by'saidv cam-cylinder F to rotate said camwheels, and means to control the timevof rotation of said cam-wheels, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. vThe combination, with rotating head D,

carrying needles C, of cam-cylinder F, two or more yarn-carriers, H H', two or more camwheels, L L', connecting mechanism by which said carriers are actuated by said cam-wheels,

lever N3, rock-shaft N', lever or arm N, bar M,

pawl M', sliding block O, lever K, provided with slot 7c, shaft J, arm R, ratchetswheels P P', chain Q, and pawl N2, substantially as and for thel .purpose specified.

5. The combination of rotating head Dcar rying needles C, with cam-cylinder F, two or more yarn-carriers, H H', two or more caniwheels, L L', connecting mechanism by which said carriers are actuated by said cam-wheels, lever N3, rock-shaft N', lever or arm N, bar M, pawl M', ratchet-wheel P', sliding block O, lever K, having slot k, shafts J K', arm R, ratchet-wheel l?, chain Q, pawl N2, toothed wheel L2, lever S, carrying knife Si, and clamp-surface S3, cloth-presser U, having clamp-suryface a, and guide T, having notch t, substair tially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of the needle-head, needles, yarn-carriers H H', clamp S3 a, knife S2, a lever-holding clamp-face, S3, and knife S2, and mechanism to actuate said lever, substantially as and for the purpose speciied.

In testimony of which invention I hereuntoset my hand. v JOHN H. OSBORNE.

Witnesses:

R. M. HUNTER,

ERNEST H.' HUNTER. i 

